


And I don't think I said what I should have said

by effyrodriguez



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Jason Blossom is Alive, Jughead Jones is Not Asexual, M/M, jughead and veronica have known each other since they were kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-10-19 09:26:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10637007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/effyrodriguez/pseuds/effyrodriguez
Summary: “How are things between you and blondie? Has she caught onto the fact that you’re her creepy stalker?” Veronica dropped her head on the table with a groan. “That bad huh,” Jughead said in a mocking voice.AU where Cheryl is dead instead of Jason and things between him and Jughead become complicated. Throw Archie into the mix and everything just goes to shit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from the song "Evacuate" by the Boxer Rebellion. My first ever Riverdale fic. And even though I should be working on my other stories instead of trying to write a new one...it is what it is cause I couldn't get this idea out of my head and now here we are.

“Here you go.” Pops placed in front of Jughead a triple double chocolate sundae with Oreo chunks and sprinkles. He looked around the diner before looking back to Jughead, “I asked Nick to put extra whipped cream and sprinkles, just the way you like it.” Pops said in a soft whisper.

“Thanks Pops.” Jughead tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace.

“Anytime.” Pops winked at him before walking away.

For a moment Jughead just stared at it while swirling his spoon through the whipped cream, appreciating the masterpiece before him. He then took a huge bite of his dessert and immediately let out a content hum in the midst of which he was interrupted by a loud slam of a tray on the table.

“That bad huh.” He glanced up at Veronica as she stood hovering over him, one hand on her hip. She then popped a fry into her mouth, having just put extra cheese on her fries.

He rolled his eyes. “Ronnie not now,” he said, his mouth full of ice cream.

“Scoot over.” Jughead let out a grumble before moving further into the booth. Nudging Jughead's shoulder playfully she suddenly frowned as she saw him wince. “I swear to God if he hurt you, I’ll—"

“No, he would never do that.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Look I fell, okay.” he yelled, then quickly took in the others stunned expressions and lowered his voice. “And there’s nothing more than a few bruises.”

She gave him a small smile. “Look, we all know that whenever you're having a crappy day you indulge in…whatever the hell this is. So either you start talking, or I’ll start describing Dianna Agron naked.” When he didn't respond, she just shrugged. “Her vag—"

He scrunched his nose up in disgust. “Just stop, alright. I don't need to know anymore about your perverted dreams than I already know.” She smiled, pleased. He looked down at the table, unable to meet her gaze. “He told me he loved me.”

“Aww, how sweet.” Veronica cooed, and he shot her a glare. She blinked back at him innocently.

“No, it's terrible. I didn't want it to get this far. It was only supposed to be a temporary thing. You know, to help me get over…” He slumped against the seat, all the energy drained from him.

She tossed a handful of fries into her mouth before nodding understandingly. “So now you're going to be seen as an even bigger dickhead for dumping him. And everyone's gonna hate you for this but Archie and me.”

“That pretty much sums it up.”

A comfortable silence fell between them as they ate, each lost in their own thoughts.

Jughead was the first to break silence. “How are things between you and blondie? Has she caught onto the fact that you’re her creepy stalker?” Veronica dropped her head on the table with a groan. “That bad huh,” he said in a mocking voice.

She flipped him off, and Jughead broke out into chuckles. She looked up at him a moment frowningly, then sighed, “Ugh, she probably hates me.” she said as she leaned into him and put her head on his shoulder.

“What'd you do?” he asked curiously.

“I ruined her art project.” Once again Jughead burst into a fit of laughter. She punched his arm. “It's not funny!”

“Ow!” he yelped.

“Baby. Anyways, I told myself to stop being such a weirdo and to actually go talk to her. But when I finally got the courage to speak to her I kinda slipped.”

“Kind of?”

“Same difference,” she huffed. “So when I slipped I bumped into her which then caused her to drop her art project.”

“Then what happened.”

“Well, let's just say it breaking into a million pieces is an understatement.”

“I guess I won't be expecting any invitations to Mrs. and Mrs. Cooper’s wedding anytime soon, huh.” he smirked.

She crossed her arms over her chest, stuck her chin up in the air. “You should be proud.”

“And why’s that?”

“See, the old Veronica would have just got up and walked away but I decided to go and explain to her teacher why she didn't have her assignment with her.”

Jughead nodded appreciatively. “Pretty ballsy of you.”

“Right.”

“What’d the teacher say?”

She took a deep breath and paused for effect. Jughead just looked her in the eyes, not amused. “He allowed her an extension on the assignment.” Veronica said as she let out a long sigh.

“Well then why—"

“Hey guys. What’d I miss.” Kevin said as he plopped down in the seat across from them.

“Juggie’s in love,” Veronica teased, elongating the word love. Jughead just rolled his eyes. “Jason and Juggie, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i—"

“What are you a twelve year old?” She stuck her tongue out at him. Jughead picked up the spoon and pointed it at her, “Point proven.” he said, before taking another bite of the sundae.

Kevin just sat there for a moment, his mouth hanging open. “Wait, so you seriously told him you—"

“No, he told me.”

“Oh,” Kevin looked even more shocked. He then noted how uncomfortable Jughead seemed about the conversation in general. “And that’s a problem?”

“Yes, because I can’t say it back.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie tells Jughead a few truths
> 
> Archie questions Jughead's relationship with Jason 
> 
> Jughead thinks back to his last conversation with Jason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 2! I thought I was going to post the chapter this past Sat. but I've been busy with finals and other things so I didn't have time. Besides that I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has subscribed and left kudos and comments. It means a lot to me.

_As Jughead was pulling his books out of his locker, someone dangled his hat in front of his face. He snatched it before spinning around. His eyes widened as he came face to face with none other than Reggie Mantle._

_Reggie just smirked down at him. “A thank you would be nice.”_

_“Fuck you,” Jughead spat, before shoving him out of the way and heading toward his next class._

_Reggie followed behind him._ _“_ _That’s all right by me, though I didn’t think you were the type.” he spoke aloud._

_Jughead stopped in his tracks, turned around, and glared up at Reggie. “What do you want, Reggie?” he gritted out between clenched teeth._

_“Whoa, easy there, Cullen. I’m just messing with you.” Jughead just continued to glare at him. “Alright. Alright,” he said. Reggie sighed and motioned to the hat. “Look man, Jason wanted me to give you that since you kind of just took off yesterday before he had a chance to give it to you. Anyways, he figured you might not want to see him just yet.” Reggie then shook his head. “You know, I was rooting for you guys. After Cheryl died he didn't smile much. But whenever he was with you, his whole face would light up. I'd never seen him so happy before.” Reggie shrugged. “Maybe it’s a good thing, though. Chuck’s been giving him shit about the two of you.”_

_Jughead looked at him, shocked._ _“He never told you, huh.” Jughead opened his mouth to speak, but he cut him off. “I know why you did it. Jason was too blind to see it, but I wasn’t._   _I just wish you would have broke it off sooner.”_

_Jughead finally butted in, “We haven’t...we’re still together.”_

_“But you’re planning to, right?” Jughead just stayed quiet. Reggie gave a slight nod before he began to walk away but stopped. “Oh, one more thing. Just like how you’d do anything to protect Archie, I would do anything to protect him. Keep that in mind, alright.” Reggie said, patting him on the shoulder. He gave Jughead a cold smile before walking away, leaving him speechless._

* * *

Jughead sighed deeply as now and again rain pattered against the windows. Right then there was nothing he hated more than the rain, a constant reminder that Archie and him were stuck in the tight, cramped space of Archie’s room as they waited for it to stop.

Jughead was sitting on the edge of Archie’s bed with his back to the wall and his knees drawn up to his chest as they balanced his laptop. Once more, Jughead sighed while absentmindedly tapping his fingers on the edge of the laptop. They’d been stuck in the room for a good hour. At some point Archie had even taken his shirt off. How long he couldn't exactly remember. Every once in a while he found himself staring at his chest, but would quickly look away for fear of him noticing.

Resting his head on his arms, Archie laid there on his stomach with a goofy grin plastered on his face and his eyes watching Jughead as he continued to type away at his work. “Do you ever write about me?” said Archie, speaking up finally.

Jughead’s eyebrows arched up in surprise. He glanced over at Archie before looking back at his laptop. “Yeah, actually.”

His smile widened even more. “Really? What's it about?”

“It’s called ‘Why a guy like Archie is the worst person to give relationship advice.’”

Archie threw a pillow at his head, but he ducked and it sailed past him. “I’m serious.”

Jughead shrugged and continued typing. Archie rolled his eyes before scooting closer to him, their feet almost touching and with his arms wrapped around his pillow. Jughead looked at him, taken aback. “Oh, come on, just tell me. I promise, I won't laugh.”

Jughead glared at Archie before shutting his laptop and placing it on a nearby desk. “Well there was this one time…you remember Mrs. Nelson?” Archie nodded. “And remember when she gave us the choice of either writing a letter or short story on our favorite person in the world…” Archie’s ears perked up at those last few words. “I decided to write about you and how our friendship helped me through my sister and mom leaving.” He paused, trying to keep the butterflies fluttering in his stomach at bay. Archie nodded once again with a smile and a sparkle in his eye. “…anyways that was a long time ago…” Jughead trailed off quietly.

At first Archie felt a bit touched inside, and his facial expressions became more tender. But then, he looked at him in unimpressed disbelief. “That’s it. That’s all you ever wrote.”

“Yup,” he said, popping the ‘p.’

“Are you lying to me?”

“No, of course not,” Jughead said a little bit too quickly, his eyes not quite meeting his.

Archie narrowed his gaze, eyes searching his.

Jughead swallowed hard, feeling his throat tighten. The tips of his ears reddened. “I gotta take a piss,” he mumbled before scrambling off the bed and practically running to the bathroom.

Archie snorted, staring at the vacant spot he had just left. Suddenly he felt Jughead’s phone vibrate. His phone quickly buzzed again. He stole one last glance at the door before grabbing his phone and reading the texts.

Jason: hey can we meet in 20                                                                                                                                                                                              Jason: our usual spot  
Jason: u know we cant just leave things as they are

Archie furrowed his brow, hands unconsciously gripping the sheets. Hearing footsteps outside, he quickly put the phone down.

Stepping back into the room Jughead looked at Archie, tilting his head to one side at the sight. His body was rigid, his muscles tense. He smiled at Jughead. “Everything all right, pal?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Jughead shrugged before plopping down on the air mattress. As he stared at the ceiling, his uneasiness grew. He felt his stomach churn. 

“So…you and Jason.”

Jughead felt himself automatically relax at the words, fearing something much worse, had been bothering his friend. But he was still curious as to why his name had come up. Jughead tilted his head back and up. “Yeah. What about it?”

“Nothing… It’s just a little bit weird, that’s all.”

“Why? Cause it’s a guy?”

Archie scrunched up his forehead in a confused look. “You know stuff like that doesn’t bother me.”

“Do I?” Jughead questioned, his own voice shaking a little.

“It doesn’t bother me.” Archie repeated, with more firmness.

“So why even bring it up?”

Archie sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Because I don’t like him.” he said, putting emphasis on his last word.

Jughead then sat up, looked him straight in the eyes and said, bluntly, “Wait, does this have anything to do with Jason not letting you on the team?”

“What!? No!” Archie paused, took a deep breath and continued, “I’m just worried that—”

At that moment Jughead’s phone went off. He reached over and snatched the phone off the bed.

Archie watched him intently as he read, noting him frown. “What’s up?”

The sudden question startled Jughead and he stared blankly at him for a moment, then shook his head. “Oh. It’s Veronica. She wants me to come over saying that the rain has finally stopped so I can’t use that as an excuse anymore.”

“I’ll just put some clothes on.” Archie jumped off the bed, began pulling on clothes.

“Arch, I…” Jughead stared at him, saw the goofy smile he gave him. “Maybe it would be better if it’s just me.” The smile quickly faded from Archie’s face. He didn’t reply, but he slowly sat back down on the bed.

Jughead gathered some of his things together and took one last look at him. “So I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, dude, totally.”

As Jughead made his way down stairs he felt a ping of guilt settle in as he heard guitar strings being plucked. He wanted to tell Archie the truth. He wanted to tell him that he was actually going to see Jason and not Veronica, but he was afraid — afraid he would react badly. But he should have just told him, right? Because tonight’s the night. He was going to break things off with Jason.

* * *

Jughead told himself he should have known. All of the signs were right there in front of him but he paid no mind to them, at the time. He should have noticed that the way Jason was touching him was different. It was, if anything, more gentle than before. Jason kept telling him he didn't want to rush things. And that his parents were out of town for the weekend, so they had all the time in the world. And that smile, that fucking smile. It was contagious. He could not help returning the smile. He hated that he could have this effect on him. Jughead closed his eyes, his mind flashing back to the last time he was with Jason.

_Jughead opened his eyes, met his gaze. And at that very moment, Jason thought he’d never seen anything more beautiful. Jughead’s eyes were glossed over with lust and his hair disheveled and matted with sweat. Jason couldn’t help but let out a strangled moan at the sight. He then quickly grabbed Jughead’s hips and thrusted up into him. Jughead let out a soft cry to the sudden change in movement. He slid a hand up Jason’s chest to circle around his neck, bringing his head toward him. At first it was nothing more than a gentle press of lips, but Jughead suddenly took charge of things and pushed his tongue into his mouth, kissing him feverishly. When they eventually broke apart, they were both gasping for air. Jason looked straight into his eyes and it was then that he muttered. “I love you.”_

_Jughead’s face went slack, ‘No! No! No!’ It was as though his entire body had been plunged into a bucket of ice water. It’s as if Jason sensed the sudden change in him too because as Jughead looked to him he saw only fear and confusion. He looked at Jason for a long time, then he scrambled off him. He slicked back his soaked hair, his eyes scanning the dimly lit area._

_J_ _ason lay still for a moment, processing the fact that he basically just confessed his secret feelings and had been rejected. Though not so secret anymore. “Shit!” he muttered knowing Jughead was probably gonna make a run for it. He rolled off the bed, not caring that he was completely naked._  

_Paying no mind to him,  Jughead snatched his jeans from the puddle of clothes on the floor._

_“Juggie, wait," Jason called out._

_Jughead’s eyes continued to dart around the room, making sure he didn't miss anything. “No, you don't get to call me that.” He responded as he gasped for breath with one hand pressed on his chest._

_Jason took a cautious step forward, his arm reaching out to him. “Jughead, you need to calm down,” Jason sighed._

_“Don’t touch me!” he yelled._

_Jason held his hands up in defense, quickly backed away. “Alright, alright. Forget I said anything.”_

_“Why say anything at all?” Jughead said aloud, his voice rising._

_Jason stood silent, and watched the scene unfold before him. That’s all he could do. Except for an occasional snarky remark Jughead barely spoke. But here he was, and it seemed to Jason that he was witnessing something close to a full-blown panic attack._

_Jughead just kept pacing back and forth and making wild hand gestures. “I feel so—so stupid! I knew this was going to happen. That this thing between us would eventually mean more to one of us.”_

_Jason looked down at the floor in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. “You think we can just pretend tonight never happened?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders, though a part of him was still hopeful._

_Jughead stopped in his tracks and stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “No!” he replied._

_And then over them there fell a deep silence._

_Jason glanced in his direction and caught Jughead watching him, he looked a bit uncomfortable. Realizing he was still naked, he quickly slipped into his sweatpants. He took a few extra steps back, trying to put him at ease. “Look, I’m not really good at this stuff.”_

_Jughead just rolled his eyes. Mustering up all his strength, Jason took a deep breath and grounded himself. “When Cheryl died, sure I had a lot of support from Reggie and the team but…they didn’t get…you understood what it was like to lose someone…someone who once meant a lot to you…You mean a lot to me,  Jughead.” He took another deep breath and said, “That’s why I said it. And you know you feel the same way too.”_

_“I don’t,” Jughead replied meekly._

_“Why can’t you admit that you felt something just then?”_

_“Even if I did, it doesn’t matter.” Jason gave him an exhausted look, as if to say, ‘Why not’. “We aren't like other couples. We'll never be like Archie and Valerie or Kevin and Moose.”_

_“What are you talking about?” Jason asked, his voice laced with pain._

_“I…I can’t do this right now.” Jughead said, tears brimming in his own eyes._   _On his way out he picked up a sweater that was most likely Jason’s and quickly put it on. Jason watched him until he was out of sight._

* * *

 Up ahead, the lake came into view. Jughead paused. He had been mulling over what to say and finally decided he was going to tell a story, tell the truth. And the truth was that Jason didn’t love him. He just thought he did. But eventually he’d get bored of him, just like everyone else. And he'd be completely fine with it because once again he was used to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter: Jason goes to Reggie for advice and Veronica learns something about Archie she wishes she’d known before. 
> 
> On another note besides just not having time to update I also was a bit hesitant in posting the chapter because of how I wrote Jason. I do believe he cares a lot about Polly so I think he would behave the same way with Jughead and between him and Cheryl I think he would be the less 'cruel' sibling.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keeping things bottled up inside Archie loses his cool twice. (may seem a bit ooc. idk. let me know what you think if you want. but Poor Archie)
> 
> Chuck makes his debut. (TOTAL DICKHEAD!!!)
> 
> Ronnie’s in love. (She’s got it bad. And will Betty just be her gf already)
> 
> Jason makes a decision that could change things (Uh Oh!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a couple of things before we start this chapter. MAJOR WARNING: There is homophobic language in this chapter so if you want to skip that part of the story I would stop reading once Chuck enters the scene and pick up after the line break. Sorry, but Chuck’s a major dickhead in this chapter. Archie is a bit of a jerk too in this chapter but he redeems himself later, so yeah. Also, for the purpose of this story, Chuck’s dad is not the football coach. Though last chapter ended with Jug meeting up with Jason to hash things out, the conversation between Jughead and Jason will be featured in the next chapter as it seemed it would fit better there. And though I mentioned that in this chapter Jason would go to Reggie for advice I decided to not put that in the story. Maybe I’ll write some outtakes that did not get to appear in this story but will maybe be posted…depends…And OMG!!!! it has definitely been 84 years since I’ve updated but yeah…but I’m back with another chapter and this is definitely not the last so…hehe please don’t hate me. Nah, just kidding. One last thing and then I’ll stop. Just thank you for taking the time to read my story. Kudos to you all. And hope you all have a good day.

Veronica sat at one of many lunch tables, legs crossed, while she knitted. Every now and then she tapped with her foot upon the floor, as though beating time to a tune. She’s so absorbed in what she’s doing that she doesn’t hear Archie approaching the table, an amused look on his face. “What’s going on here?”

Jughead placed his hand on his shoulder as he came up behind him.“Girl trouble. Something you wouldn’t understand, obviously.” he said with the biggest grin on his face.

“Jerk.” Archie said and playfully shoved him. Smiling, Jughead shoved him back. “Oh. So that’s how it’s going to be.” Archie said before he grabbed his hat and ruffled his hair. Eventually he put his hat back on him gently.

“Jerk,” Jughead mimicked, teasing him. Realizing how close they were to each other Archie immediately backed away. Jughead frowned at his reaction but said nothing. Instead, he settled down into his seat and focused his attention on Veronica. “Anyways…Should have been here earlier. The whole table was practically covered with it.” he said over dramatically.

Veronica shrugged her shoulders. “What? It helps me relax,” she admitted as she kept her gaze ahead not making eye contact with anyone. Archie shook his head, setting his tray of food on the table. “Ah, don’t sit there.” she said, her gaze not wavering.

“Why not?” Veronica doesn’t respond. Archie followed her gaze to see Betty Cooper sitting right behind them. He rolled his eyes before he turned back to look at her. “And where’s Kevin going to sit?” he said as he sat across from Jughead.

“He’s not coming today. He said something about staying up all night studying with Moose for a Bio test. But we all know his ass is probably sore from all the pounding it took last night.”

Jughead dropped his burger to the tray and stared at her, horrified. “Can’t you see I’m eating?”

Veronica just ignored him. “You think Betty will accept this as an apology,” she said as she held up a small pink and purple scarf, half finished.

Jughead looked at her questioningly. “You’ve done enough already. And I hate to break it to you, but it just looks like a big blob of yarn.”

Veronica gave him a murderous look before she reached over and stole a few fries from his plate. She then looked at Archie who was trying to stifle his giggle by putting his fist in front of his mouth. "He’s got a point,” Archie wheezed out between giggles.

With her arms crossed tightly in front of her chest, she said, “First off, you’re both cruel. Secondly I haven’t really had time to focus on my knitting lessons with my dad in jail and all. My head has just been all over the place, you know.” They both looked at her apologetically. “Yeah, I thought so.” she said, looking quite satisfied with herself.

Archie’s glance shifted to the scarf. “I remember Betty was pretty upset with the whole situation, but I think it’s the best worst thing that ever could have happened. Her new project it’s…it’s pretty amazing.” Archie said.

Veronica and Jughead looked at each other before looking back at him.

“How did you—”

“She’s in my class.” Archie said nonchalantly.

Veronica looked at him wide eyed.“Wait, you’re taking an art class…with Betty?” Archie nodded slowly. “How am I only hearing this now?!”

“You never asked?” Bewilderment laced his voice.

Jughead shook his head, and sighed. “Oh boy.”

“And you didn’t think it was important for me to know?” Veronica said, her voice breaking off in a high-pitched squeak. Archie just stayed quiet. She threw her hands up in the air. “Unbelievable. I mean, I could have had you saying all these great things about me. Like, how much I love going to art museums…Ooh! And how much I love baking. Then one thing would lead to another and—”

“So basically, you wanted me to lie.” Veronica gave Archie the biggest glare. “I’m kidding.” he said laughing but stopped when her bold glare did not waver. Archie looked down, sighing. “Look, I really didn't think that it would be a big deal.”

Veronica leaned across the small table, talking low. “Well, maybe if you hadn’t ditched us these past few weeks to hang out with Valerie, you would have known. Right, Jughead?” She looked to Jughead for support, but he was busy staring at his phone, smiling and typing away. “Ahem.” She let out a loud, fake cough.

Jughead looked up to see Archie eyeing him uneasily. He felt his face flush with embarrassment. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly before turning to look at Veronica. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

She let out a huff of annoyance. “I’m trying to prove to Archie that he made a terrible mistake by not telling me.”

"I agree with whatever you’ve said,” Jughead answered at last, not knowing what to say.

Veronica threw him a look.

“I am sorry.” Archie frowned, his shoulders hunching a bit.

Seeing the genuine look of distress on Archie's face caused Veronica to sigh defeatedly. “It’s fine.” Veronica picked up her fork and stabbed her salad. She then pointed the fork at Archie. “Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that brainless head of yours.”

 

“Ugh,” said Jughead suddenly as he stuck out his tongue in disgust. “Remind me to tell Pops to fire Nick.”

“He’s the best.” Veronica and Archie both said, simultaneously.

Jughead let out a small, breathy laugh. “Well, that’s all well and good, but mixing up an Oreo and an M&M shake is just tragic.” he said as he put his hand across his chest, acting as if he were offended.

Veronica rose an eyebrow at him, knowing very well that he’s not very picky when it comes to food. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself when she saw the look on Jughead’s face. He shook his head motioning her to keep quiet. He then jumped up from his seat and began to walk away from them.

“Where you going?” Archie said as he shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. Jughead turned around and gave him a wink before slowly backing out of the room. Archie rolled his eyes at his antics, but his attention was brought back to the table when Veronica snorted. His smile quickly vanished and was replaced by a more serious expression. He looked around before leaning forward in his chair. Veronica looked at him oddly. “So what did you and Jug do last night?” he asked in an unusually hushed tone.

“Do?” she said, looking even more baffled than before. Archie gave her a suspicious look. “Oh, you know, the usual. Watching terrible Rom-Coms while stuffing our faces with junk food.” she said plainly, hoping that would end the conversation. He gave a slight hum, but Veronica still felt an uncomfortable tension in Archie. She tried to distract herself by looking at Betty but couldn’t help but feel his burning gaze and eventually glanced at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked, nervously touching the pearl strand around her neck.

“Nothing its’ just…I thought it was more serious than that.”

She shrugged, pursing her lips. “Maybe I wanted to keep my mind off things.”

Archie nodded, not really satisfied by her answer. It was clear to Veronica that he didn't believe her. She bit her lower lip, fretting. She then reached for her phone, and started texting a message to Jughead.

Ronnie: WE NEED TO TALk

Ronnie: y u lying to Arch

Ronnie: He seems pretty upset. i’m worried

Ronnie: Where’d u go

Ronnie: JUG???

Ronnie: u owe me

“Don’t you trust me?” Archie finally blurted out.

Veronica looked at him, slightly taken aback and slowly put the phone down on the table. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Ever since we were kids, you’ve always acted different when you’re around me, and I don’t see why. Jughead trusts me…Why can’t you?”

“Maybe cause you can really be an asshole sometimes. Which makes me think there’s something you’re not telling us.”

Archie remained silent for a minute, and then he said. “Can you just tell me whether he was actually with you last night?”

“Why? Cause you think he was with Jason? What business is it of yours, anyways?”

“I'm just…really worried about him,” he said with a voice barely audible.

“Yeah, well, don’t be,” Veronica told him. Archie threw her a curious look but she didn’t acknowledge it. “Jason’s actually a really nice guy.” He snorted at her comment. “Besides, Jughead can take care of himself.”

Archie shook his head, scoffing. “You just don’t get it.”

“Then explain it to me! What’s going on?” Veronica looked down at her phone, noting Jughead still hadn't responded. “What happened between you and Jughead?” she exclaimed, frustrated.

Archie’s shoulders sagged in defeat, but he couldn't force himself to say anything more than, “Nothing’s going on.”

At first Veronica thought about dropping the subject, but decided against it. “You gotta admit, ever since you found out about Jughead and Jason, you've been acting a little weird lately.”

His face contorted in shock. Veronica continued to look steadily at him. “No, I haven’t. And will you just shut up about them.” Archie said between clenched teeth.

“See, there you go getting all defensive.” Veronica paused for a moment then added, “Where is all this anger coming from? This isn’t you,” she said in a gentle, worried tone. Archie looked down, ashamed. Veronica reached out and put her hand on his. “You can tell me anything. I’m sorry I made you feel that way, but I do trust you…You can trust me, too.”

Archie pulled his hand away as if he’d been burned before getting up from his seat, practically running out of the room.

Veronica sat there for a minute, pure confusion etched in her features. It was then that Betty cast a curious glance at her. Veronica gave her a sheepish smile before chasing after him.

* * *

 

As soon as the door swung shut behind Archie a sudden heaviness squeezed his chest, making it harder to breathe. He put his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath, but only gave himself a moment’s rest as he was afraid that Veronica was following after him. From there, he picked up the pace and continued onwards towards the restroom. After a certain point he had stopped walking because all he could do was stare at the sight before him. Jughead was at his locker talking with Reggie. He had his head thrown back and was laughing, while Reggie seemed to be smiling.

“Well, I’d better get going.” He heard Reggie tell Jughead.

Archie took that as his cue and began heading their way.

“Later, Donnie Darko.” Jughead just grinned at Reggie and flipped him off. Reggie chuckled at that. “Sup Andrews.” Reggie greeted as he passed by Archie, but Archie just glared at him. Reggie just shrugged and kept walking.

“What was that all about?” Archie said while leaning against Jughead’s locker with his arms crossed. “You probably wouldn’t believe it if I told you,” Jughead answered. Archie just looked at him, his lips pressed into a tight line and his eyebrows angrily furrowed. Jughead felt his body go rigid as Archie was clearly not in a mood to be messed with. He watched as Archie cocked his head slightly to one side while he waited for him to speak, while he was busy trying to swallow the lump that had risen in his throat. Eventually, he gave him a wobbly smile before telling him, “He said and I quote ‘Sorry for being a royal jackass.’” Archie gaped at him, completely taken aback, while his eyebrows rose in astonishment. Jughead chuckled at his reaction. “That’s actually how I reacted too…Reggie actually apologized. Can you believe it?” he said, still shaking his head in disbelief.

Confusion no longer colored Archie’s features — only anger. “Why would he have to apologize? Did he hurt you?” Jughead’s face scrunched into a bewildered look and he just stood there for a minute, not saying anything. “Jug—”

Jughead put his hand up to stop him. “No, no, nothing like that. Trust me. It’s about Jason and I.” Archie’s features softened in their expression. “We were being stupid and I said some things that…Jason had been pretty hurt by the whole thing…I mean we’re good now so it’s not like it really matters…Anyways, as a result of it all, Reggie tried insulting me with his limited use of vocabulary the other day. So, nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“Okay then. You need to stay away from him.”

“What?! Why? Cause I get it, you know. He’s just being protective.”

Archie put his hands on Jughead's shoulders and said with a firm look in his eyes, “Look, Jughead, I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this, but in case you’ve forgotten we’re your friends not him. Reggie’s only being nice to you cause you’re fucking his best friend. Just think, Jug, if Jason never introduced you to him, he wouldn’t look twice in your direction.”

“What the actual fuck?” Jughead said as he shoved him off lightly.

“I’m sorry, but it’s the truth.” Archie responded, looking as though he expected his answer would draw a reaction out of him.

“Stay away from me,” Jughead said quietly as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. Ignoring his protests Archie took a step forward but stopped when Jughead yelled, “I said stay back!”

“Jug—”

“Woah, what's going on here? Lover’s quarrel?” A familiar voice spoke.

They both turned to see Chuck walking towards them.

“Oh, fuck off, Chuck. The last thing I need is you throwing in your two cents. Especially since you incorporate your lousy sports metaphors in any situation.” Jughead said, clearly annoyed.

“I wasn’t talking to you, faggot,” Chuck spat at Jughead.

A few students, not too far away, suddenly let out a collective gasp.

Archie felt anger pulse through him at Chuck’s words. He looked to Jughead, assuming he’d be as furious as he was, but he appeared perfectly calm and unruffled.

Chuck smirked as a curious crowd, including Veronica, started to gather around them.

Some of the students whipped out their phones and started recording. Others sneered at Jughead.

“See I knew this day would come. It was only a matter of time before the freak slipped up. Right, Jughead?”

Jughead stood frozen, not knowing how to respond. Archie furrowed his eyebrows at Chuck, completely clueless.

Chuck put the back of his fist over his mouth to cover his smirk. He then spun around, his eyes scanning the crowd before turning back.“Oh, wow! You mean you haven't told him?” Archie looked again at Jughead, but he looked thoroughly confused as he did. “Did you ever wonder why you weren’t on the team. You must’ve cause I definitely did. You killed it at tryouts. So it wasn’t cause you were a bad player. No. It’s because I thought, and everybody on the team thought, that if Jason let you on the team we’d find you ogling our dicks in the locker room, wishing it was up your ass. Guess who started the rumor. None other than the not-so-straight team captain himself, Jason Blossom.”

“He’s lying,” Jughead told him, though he seemed unsure of himself now.

Chuck snorted.“Of course you’d defend him. You’re both sick in the head.” he said, his voice filled with disgust. He then looked in Archie’s direction. “Come on Andrews, you know I’m right. So why don’t we teach this helpless cock-sucking fairy a lesson. It’ll be our little present to Jason.”

As soon as those words were spoken Veronica began shoving her way through the crowd as best she could, but to no avail. She just looked helplessly at Jughead as he stood there, slightly quivering as he waited to see what Archie would do. Archie eventually moved away from Jughead, ignoring the hurt reflected in his eyes.

The corners of Chuck’s lips seemed to twitch upwards, but as quickly as it showed, it vanished as Archie leaped forward and swung his fist at Chuck’s face. The punch connected with his cheekbone, and he stumbled back. Jughead just stood there bug-eyed as he watched the scene unfold before him. Chuck quickly regained his footing and tackled Archie into the lockers. Chuck began to throw punch after punch and Archie struggled to deflect his punches. Jughead tried to shove him off but he didn’t budge. Archie somehow managed to knee him in the stomach and slip away from him, but Chuck then grabbed hold of him and threw him to the floor.

“Oh, my, God! Archie!” Veronica cried out, as she saw him fall to the floor.

“Just leave it.” a voice said behind her. Veronica tried to move, but someone reached out and grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her back. As she turned around, her mouth went agape at seeing Betty. Betty motioned her head toward the coach who was rushing towards them. Though still in shock, Veronica forced herself to nod.

“Hey, break it up, fellas. Break it up,” he shouted.

Hearing Coach's voice, Chuck quickly let up and put his hands up innocently.

Coach looked at the two of them, waiting for some kind of explanation.

“He’s crazy! Out of nowhere, he just swung at me. I had to defend myself, coach.” Chuck said while rubbing a hand over his cheek.

Archie’s eyes almost rolled out the back of his head at the sudden change in Chuck’s demeanor.

Coach just nodded. Then he looked over at Archie and let out a sigh, clearly disappointed. “Both of you, in my office in five,” he said sternly.

As he started to walk away, Archie said “This isn't fair!” Coach stopped in his tracks and turned around. “He threatened Jughead. I was just—”

“I don’t want to hear another word from you, Andrews!” Coach exclaimed. Realizing that there was a crowd, he turned towards some of the students and yelled, “Shouldn’t you all be in class.”

The students began swiftly scattering in different directions.

As he watched the students leave, Archie let out a long puff of air, stuffing his hands in his pockets. And when Veronica made eye contact with him, he ignored her and started making his way towards the coach’s office.

Veronica made a few steps forward as if to follow after him, but Betty put a gentle hand on her arm. “Just let him go. Trust me. He just needs some time alone.” Though hesitant, Veronica agreed and watched Archie’s figure disappear as he turned a corner.

* * *

 

Poking his head into the room, Reggie looked around carefully, and immediately relaxed when he saw Jason laying on his bed. “I tried to call you a couple times, but—”

“My phone’s dead.” Jason mumbled into the sheets as he laid there covered in blankets.

“Okay?” Reggie said, walking further into the room. “Are you alright? The front door was wide open.”

“Ah…yeah, don’t worry about me,” Jason said and cleared his throat, pulling himself together and shrugged. “My parents let the maids have the rest of the week off, remember. Besides, nobody knows my parents are gone.”

Now standing at the foot of the bed, Reggie stared down at him as he crossed his arms over his chest and said. “Shouldn’t they be back by now?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. Since when do you care anyway?”

“I…Forget I said anything.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Fine. Whatever,” he huffed. “So, what’d you want to talk about? Cause I’m pretty sure that wasn’t it.”

“I think things with Chuck are getting out of hand,” Reggie told Jason.

Jason’s eyes widened as he looked to Reggie. “Why? Did something happen? Is Jughead alright?”

“Yeah, he’s fine.” Jason shuddered as relief flooded through him, but only for a moment as Reggie then said, “Archie and Chuck both got suspended, though.”

“Wait.” Jason paused. “Andrews? He was there?” he said, anger creeping into his voice. Reggie only nodded. “What exactly happened?” he asked, his tone harsh.

“I don’t know exactly what’s happened, but supposedly Chuck was harassing Jughead, and Archie eventually just lost it. By the time I actually got there coach was trying to break up the fight.”

“But Jughead’s alright?” Jason asked again, his voice wavering.

“For God’s sake, Jason! Yes, he’s fine…This time.” Reggie muttered under his breath.

“What?!”

“He just crossed a line today, Jason. This isn’t something you can just ignore anymore. This is serious. We need to report him to the authorities. Tell them that this wasn't the first time Chuck’s—”

“No way!” Jason said, cutting him off. “I’m not telling them shit.”

Reggie puffed up his cheeks and blew the air out slowly before shrugging. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to disagree with—”

“You really think that they’re going to take it seriously. Those dumbshits can’t even find the person responsible for my sister’s death. So, once again, you really think they’re going to give a shit about a homophobic bully.” Reggie was momentarily at a loss for words. With a deep sigh, Jason dropped down and put his head in his hands.“Besides my dad can’t find out that I’m… he’ll go ballistic.”

“What are we going to do then?”

Jason eyed his letterman jacket that was laying crumpled on the bed. He reached across and took it, quickly putting it on. “My old man once told me that a man can do whatever he sees fit.” he said as he hopped off the bed.

Reggie frowned at the emptiness he saw in his eyes. He suddenly had a feeling of dread wash over him, as if something was about to go terribly wrong. “I don’t understand. What are you—”

“I’ll deal with him myself.” Jason said, his voice commanding, his face growing stern.

“No. You’re only going to make things worse.”

Jason didn’t respond and gave Reggie one last look before heading out. “Jason. Jason! Where are you…” Reggie trailed off. His face slowly fell and he hung his head, sighing heavily. “Great.”

* * *

 

As soon as Archie entered his house he leaned his head back against the now closed door behind him, closing his eyes. He stayed like that for a few seconds before he straightened himself. With quick strides, he marched into the kitchen, throwing a bag of ice into the trash before tossing his backpack and keys onto the table. He then swung the freezer door open and grabbed a bag of frozen peas. He walked into the living room, placing the peas over his nose and swollen eye but stilled suddenly. “Dad?” he said as he saw his father sitting on the sofa. “What are you doing back so early?” he questioned.

“Why don’t you sit down, son,” Fred said, patting the sofa beside him.

As Archie sat down beside him he said, “Look, I can explain. I—”

“I’m not angry with you, Archie. I’m just worried. I understand that your mother leaving has been hard but—”

“Just stop, dad, alright? Don’t bring her into this. It has nothing to do with her.” Fred nodded silently. “I…” He tried to speak again, but nothing would come out of his mouth.

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. But if you want to talk, I’m here.”

“Thanks, dad.”

Fred gave his son a reassuring smile and patted his knee before standing up. “So is Jughead joining us for dinner or is he eating out at Pop’s again?”

“How should I know,” Archie replied, a bitterness in his tone.

Fred turned and faced him. He was a little bit shocked. “I’m sensing things between the two of you are not so great.”

“I’ve messed things up between us… All because of a...friend.”

“Ah,” his father said quietly, realization dawning. “I did notice the two of you haven’t been hanging out as much lately.” He sat back down. “I thought you were just focusing more on your schoolwork and music. It makes sense now, though.”

Archie hesitated, a sudden sadness taking hold. He turned his face away to conceal his emotion. “Our friendship has been rocky, for a while. I’m scared I might lose him.”

“You guys got something special. And yeah, you two have had your ups and downs but that’s all relationships. Now, if he’s really crazy about this gal you’re just going to have to put up with it, if you want this relationship to last. That’s just how life is. But maybe you’re right, and these things happen sometimes. And there’s nothing we can do about it except accept it and move on.” Still refusing to face his father, he just nodded. “It’ll be okay. Whatever happens.”

“Archie,” Jughead suddenly called as he walked into the living room. “Oh! I’ll come back later.”

Fred stood up, once again, holding up his hand. “No, it’s alright, Jughead. We were just about finished.” He gave Jughead a slight nod before saying, “I’ll leave you two to it.”

Jughead gave Fred a small smile before facing Archie. “Hey.”

“Hi.”

Jughead started scratching his ear nervously. “Sooo…I, uh…I wanted to say thank you, for earlier…You didn’t have to do that.”

“Of course I did. I would do the same thing over again if I had to,” Archie admitted.

“I’m not worth it.”

“How can you even say that?” Jughead shrugged. Smiling Archie said, “Well, I’m pretty sure if I didn’t, your boyfriend would have something to say about it. And we wouldn’t want to upset him, now, would we?”

Jughead just laughed and said, “You’ve got a good point there.”

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Startled, Jughead looked at Archie, but Archie just shrugged.

 

Archie opened the door to find Reggie standing there, looking fearful and uneasy. Jughead stood not too far behind. Reggie looked to Jughead. “Why haven’t you been answering my calls?” he asked but was met with silence. “Forget it. I don’t have time for this. We have to go.” Reggie turned and started making his way toward his car but stopped when he realized no one had moved. “I told Jason what happened at school today, and if we don’t haul our asses over to Clayton’s, Jason might reunite with his sister sooner than he had hoped.”

“And what makes you so sure something’s going to happen?” Archie asked, not quite believing him.

“His father’s gun’s missing.”

Jughead looked at Archie. “We need to go.”

“Hey, Arch, who was at the…Reggie?” Fred said as he entered the now crowded space of the entryway before he looked questioningly at the three of them. “Someone want to tell me what’s going on?”

“We have to tell him.” Archie said.

They both nodded their heads in agreement.

“Tell me what?” Fred asked as he watched Jughead and Reggie take off towards Reggie’s car.

Archie put his hand on his father’s arm. “Look, dad, I’ll explain everything on the way there but we really need to go.” Fred just stared at Archie, mouth agape.

* * *

BONUS: Convo b/w Jug and Jason when Jug was at the cafeteria smiling like a goof. (but like let’s pretend that Jason took this pic of Juggie on one of their dates.)(and arghh for some reason the image won't show here so I put the link below if you want to see the pic)

Slightly Hotter Archie: (https://www.picmonkey.com/p/aA3obCknpRp) u should smile more often

The King: not a chance

Slightly Hotter Archie: can’t you understand that you’re depriving me and the world whenever you don’t

The King: if you’re complimenting me just to stay on my good side, i’ll let u know, now, it’s not going to work

Slightly Hotter Archie: i’m not. and i thought we were good

Slightly Hotter Archie: Jug?

Slightly Hotter Archie: ???

Slightly Hotter Archie: we are good right?

 

The King: yup. just wanted to make you squirm for a bit

Slightly Hotter Archie: youre cruel

The King: i know. i get that a lot

Slightly Hotter Archie: but i still luv u ❤️❤️❤️

The King: i think i’m going to puke now

Slightly Hotter Archie: i’ll take that as a i love you too. anyways Reggie wants to talk to u.

The King: let me guess, to brag about how much muscle he has gained in the last three weeks. and how he probably can lift me up with just his pinky

Slightly Hotter Archie: that would be pretty dope but no. he wants to apologize

The King: do you possibly have anything to do with this sudden fake apology?

Slightly Hotter Archie: maybe…actually no. he told me he was out of line and that he was going to apologize.

Slightly Hotter Archie: he just texted me saying he’s at your locker

The King: and here i thought i ought to bring out the lasso of truth but something tells me you’re not lying so…i better not keep the meathead waiting

Slightly Hotter Archie: meanie. i’ll see u later tonight babe 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter would have been posted much earlier but I could not figure out how to upload the image. I am terrible w/ technology. Anyways...hopefully I will not take so long to post the next chapter. And hopefully Jughead gets there on time to stop Jason but we shall see.

**Author's Note:**

> In the next chapter we'll see a flashback between Jason and Jughead, which led up to Jason telling Juggie he loves him. 
> 
> Feedback and criticism always appreciated :)


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